Improvement in making piano-legs



iliiirli 51am -HENRY wiLLeons, or New. Yoan. N. Y.

Leamraim- No. 97,845, amai December, 14,1869.

IMPROVMENT IN MAKING PIANO-LEGS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WILLGoHs, of the city and county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Carved Piano-Legs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

' Much of the labor of carving piano-legs lies in the production of the flat surfaces of goundwork between the ornamental projecting parts, scrolls, 85o. My invention greatly reduces this labor.

The nature of my invention consists in applying to the external face or rounded angle,- at the outer corner of the leg, a piece diagonally fitted on a diagonally-prepared inner face, which cuts obliquely across and through the material, and in carvingthe comerpiece so applied, so that it harmonizeswith the work on other pieces glued as usual on'the sides. as will be fully set forth below.

It also consists, in connection with the above, in a peculiar means of reducing the labor of carving such corner-piece.

I will proceed to describe what I consider the best means of carrying out my invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a complete leg.

Figure 2 is a face-view ofthe corner-piece, which is peculiarly prepared, and glued on obliquely to the other parts.

Figure 3 is a section of the corner-piece, ou the line S S, before being glued in place.

Figure et is a section on the same line, after the gluing and carving.

(The remaining figures aid in explaining the construction of the entire leg. They are plan views on a small scale.)

Figure 5 showsA the block which forms the foundation for the leg, after two pieces, properly outlined, have been glued thereon, and before any preparation has been made to produce the rounded corner.

Figure 6 shows the same, after a large piece has been sawed from the corner, and the surface planed to receive the corner-piece.

Figure 7 shows the same, aft-er the corner-piece has been glued on, but before the carving has been effected.

I take a block of wood, A, sawed or otherwise reduced approximately to the desired form, but smaller than would be required by the old method, and finish two flat faces, al ai, by planing. The planes thus produced lie at right angles t0 each-other, and correspond to the two faces ofa rectangular piano.

I perfect these surfaces by planing, and glue thereou pieces B and (l, which have been previously sawed to the proper outline for the scroll-work, vine-work, dto., on these flat surfaces.

This provides for the two flat surfaces, with carved work raised thereon. Taste or fashion requires-such surfaces, and, also, a rounded surface at the corner.

The production of these rounded surfaces in connection with the dat, with carved work projecting over the whole, involves a diiiculty which my invention provides for surmounting, with little labor` or expense.

I saw off the angle of the compound mass, and plane the suface, and thus produce the new surface c, standing oblique to'both the others', a a2.

Upon this surface, I glue a third piece of lumber,

lD. I out the corner-piece -D by a narrow jig-saw,

along the lines where an abrupt cutis required.

These lines are indicated by l1, in fig. 2, and are extended so far as to nearly divide the piece D, but not quite.

It will be obvious that when the piece D is firmly glued upon the oblique plane surface on which it is tixed, all of the parts are very strongly supported by the glue, and the wood might be entirely divided along 'its lines d without detriment; but, in order to operate conveniently in attaching the parts, I prefer to leave the piece D entire, so that it may be handled as a single piece.

The lines, where the piece D is nearly divided, aid very greatly in reducing the labor of carving, because I thereby avoid the necessity of sinking the osets at the lower edges of the leaves' or folds, scrolls, 8m. Instead of cutting both sides of the deep channels by hand, the saw-kerf forms Ione side, and it is necessary to form only the other and more gradually-sloping side by hand.

My invention is most valuable in working 'ut those designs in which very little ground is allowed to appear near the corner of the leg, but when the pattern or design is such 'that a small portion vof the groundwork appears near the corner, it is produced by the old means; that is to say, it" is sunk and finished by hand, so as to give the proper rounded contour.

When necessary, the rounding of the corner may be carried a little way upon the at face, al a2, of the original block A.

It will be understood that the labor .of producing the rounded groundwork of the corner in this manner is precisely the same as was required on that portion of the surface bythe old method of carving pianolegs, but my invention ec'onornzes labor very greatly in effecting all the other operations.

The saw-kerfs d are never visible, because pianolegs are only viewed from above, and because these narrow cuts are close up Aunder the overhanging or projecting parts.

I am aware that scrolls, out by jig-saw to the out- I claim a piano-leg, when constructed substantially line required for carved work, have been already glued in the manner herein shown and described. upon plane surfaces. I glue them -upon the plane In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my surfaces al and a2, to be afterward carved. This I do name, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' not claim, :md it will not produce a carved piano-leg, HENRY WILLGOHS.

with o. rounded corner, without the aid of invention.

My invention allows such to be produced in greater Witnesses: perfeotion than ever before, and :it a cost below those JOSEPH H. TOONE,

made in :my previously-known way. CONRAD NARVAEN. 

